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Growing the WECK empire

S

SirRoxalot

Buddy has announced a new WECK translator for the northtowns at 100.5 FM. The new translator, W263DC-FM, appears to be located on Grand Island, and will be directional to the north and northeast to avoid impacting an existing translator for WBBF-AM at 100.3. It's also wedged in next to CHIN out of Toronto at 100.7, which has primary coverage that reaches Lewiston, and does put significant signal as far south as Grand Island. That's two first-adjacents that will be affected by the new translator.

I'm not sure how much it will fill in gaps in Tonawanda, but will push signal out into Wheatfield and the Outlet Mall area of Niagara Falls. It should also get into Niagara Falls itself with somewhat less coverage. Maybe Buddy will open a Niagara Falls news bureau - or acquire WJJL and return it to Niagara Falls as a primary service. It would seem to be better suited to that kind of coverage.

You can check out the engineering data at: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/eng_fm.pl?Facility_id=200327
 
SirRoxalot said:
Buddy has announced a new WECK translator for the northtowns at 100.5 FM. The new translator, W263DC-FM, appears to be located on Grand Island, and will be directional to the north and northeast to avoid impacting an existing translator for WBBF-AM at 100.3. It's also wedged in next to CHIN out of Toronto at 100.7, which has primary coverage that reaches Lewiston, and does put significant signal as far south as Grand Island. That's two first-adjacents that will be affected by the new translator.

I'm not sure how much it will fill in gaps in Tonawanda, but will push signal out into Wheatfield and the Outlet Mall area of Niagara Falls. It should also get into Niagara Falls itself with somewhat less coverage. Maybe Buddy will open a Niagara Falls news bureau - or acquire WJJL and return it to Niagara Falls as a primary service. It would seem to be better suited to that kind of coverage.

You can check out the engineering data at: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/eng_fm.pl?Facility_id=200327
Click to expand...

The engineer studies have all been done......there will be no interference from 100.7 in Canada. The signal is direction south from the antenna, not north. The frequency is empty now. If you drive around the north, you will hear no interference now on 100.5. The 100.3 translator is nothing. If we used the CHIN frequency of 100.7, that would be different, but it is just a first adjacent. 100.5 WECK will barrel thru NT, Tonawanda, Wheatfield, Amherst, North Buffalo. We have nearly the maximum power for a translator, vertical and horizontal. It will be like 102.9 in the South towns, but better. For the full scope, go to FCCDATA.ORG. We do not expect to reach into the Falls. That was not the plan. Wait until my announcement in Spring.....it's big......THAT will blow your mind!
 
At FCCDATA.ORG enter facility #200327 and a complete report appears, including detailed pattern information, which not surprisingly, is highly directional, protecting Canada. The question is not whether this facility will interfere with CHIN at 100.7, but if CHIN, with its formidable signal, will interfere with W263DC-FM, which it appears will have a good 60 dBu signal over the north towns. Full signal licensees get priority protection over translators in the states and Canada. Any Potential Interference between two translators, 100.5 and 100.3, is a different kettle of fish.
 
The "advanced coverage map" shows that the translator does push toward the northeast from its Grand Island location. Primary service is the canal in the T/NT area, with the next contour clipping the 290 on the south, and pushing toward Millersport on the east. It will be protecting the 100.3 translator in the city of Buffalo, which isn't an issue because the existing translator covers that area nicely. However, the new signal certainly won't "barrel" through North Buffalo. It is more northeast than my original interpretation of the FCC data, taking Niagara Falls out of play. The "fringe" coverage area approaches Lockport and Williamsville.

Let me save you the trouble of looking it up:

https://fccdata.org/?facid=200327&appid=1772913&i=2
 
Buddy Shula said:
Wait until my announcement in Spring.....it's big......THAT will blow your mind!
Click to expand...


I've got an advanced copy of the what may or may not be the spring announcement:

Radio legend Buddy Shula, who has recently taken the reigns at Buffalo's very own WECK, is revealing a mind-blowing new direction for the radio station. In addition to audio programming, WECK will be adding video that will enable listeners to watch their favorite radio personalities in action. In keeping with the "throw-back" focus of WECK, the visual compliment will be available only on VHS. On the business side of things, Shula says the station has upgraded back-office technology to accommodate 5.25 inch Verbatim floppy disk computer storage.

--- no disrespect intended

BTW, I crossed paths with Harv Moore at Wegman's last week. Seemed like a nice guy.
 
Buddy, I think the station is sounding great with more of a hometown feel instead of all those other cookie cutter Corp stations!
This is a stupid question, but is your AM transmitter capable of c-quam stereo? There are many stations around the country turning stereo back on now that AM HD is dead. It would be great to listen to your station on my AM stereo carver 11a.
 
I second the C-Quam motion. I continue to maintain C-Quam receivers in my cars and at home as well as HD. I no longer live in the Buffalo area but visit frequently. Buffalo still has a lot of older vehicles on the road many of which shipped with AM Stereo tuners. For that matter, on newer cars with HD, many of those receivers can decode c-quam.

WECK used to run HD so resuming that would be fine as well with me (I know it costs quite a bit for licensing, though). I wouldn't say AM HD is dead - many larger stations are still running it although, granted, many have discontinued it or switched to daytime use only. Just like AM Stereo, the stations shut it off just as the receivers started to reach a critical mass in cars.
 
Take no offense, none is intended, but the number of older cars with receivers capable of processing AM stereo C-Quam or other stereo platforms is incidental. Let's say there are ten thousand such vehicles. Would all ten thousand owners automatically tune to WECK AM and listen continuously simply because it's broadcasting in AM stereo? Is it likely that even one tenth of those ten thousand would automatically tune to WECK HD and listen continuously? Hardly. When WECK had HD, it covered a very small geographic area. Ostrander is wise to pursue FM translators over HD or AM stereo. That said, it's my personal view, with no malice intended, that FM translators aren't the magic pill for saving or reviving a station's ratings, regardless of format.
 
Wow one of the stranger things I have read. Maybe a health issue or he just got extremely ticked off at someone. I don't know the man but listened to him years ago at KB. Sure hope he's okay.
 
Maybe Zach simply chose to quietly exit. The station is staffed mostly by "retirees", not robots. Departures are inevitable. No shame in hanging up the headphones...
 
tbolt909 said:
Maybe Zach simply chose to quietly exit. The station is staffed mostly by "retirees", not robots. Departures are inevitable. No shame in hanging up the headphones...
Click to expand...

One of the comments under the article said his son has been in the ICU for 2 weeks now. Maybe that has something to do with it. Priorities.
 
htttp://Buffalonews.com/2018/02/13/john-zach-is-perfectly-fine-says-weck-management-knows-why-he-left/

Strife in the WECK Empire...
 
From the comments I have read it would seem that people who have worked with and for Buddy Shula really like him. John Zach is well past retirement age and I'm sure he was doing his job the way he thought it should be done. When you need that paycheck and the boss makes a change you have to go along with it. Also as we get older we become less tolerant of either real or perceived "bull...." . Whatever the reason was, we don't need to know, it's Mr Shula's radio station, he pays the bills he so he gets to make the rules.
 
Was the link to the Buffalo News article removed?
 
Maybe WECK IS committed to news after all: All Access is reporting that Steve Cichon will be joining the station on Monday, Feb. 26th as the news director/morning news anchor.
 
ckg279 said:
Maybe WECK IS committed to news after all: All Access is reporting that Steve Cichon will be joining the station on Monday, Feb. 26th as the news director/morning news anchor.
Click to expand...

Hey all - WECK is a music station. An adult standards music station, serving a 55 plus audience. I believe it is important to have local and national news as a utility....a compliment. No one is going to come to WECK for news. I realize that. But news should be part of the station. Steve's new role will be very exciting. not only news, but Buffalo story-teller, morning show co-host with Tom and Gail. Understanding the role of the station in the community is important, and our role is to serve a senior audience, primary with music, local and world news, and timeless local personalities. I am proud of what we are building.
 
Buddy Shula said:
Hey all - WECK is a music station. An adult standards music station, serving a 55 plus audience. I believe it is important to have local and national news as a utility....a compliment. No one is going to come to WECK for news. I realize that. But news should be part of the station. Steve's new role will be very exciting. not only news, but Buffalo story-teller, morning show co-host with Tom and Gail. Understanding the role of the station in the community is important, and our role is to serve a senior audience, primary with music, local and world news, and timeless local personalities. I am proud of what we are building.
Click to expand...

Soooo...reading between the lines - maybe John didn't like that the news presentation Buddy mentioned was a philosophy he couldn't agree with. Could that be why he left? Or had he just had enough of the 4am wakeups?
Should be interesting to see what Steve adds to the station. Sounds like less news, more warm and fuzzy.
 
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